MegaGirl Starforce
by jess0412
Summary: Geo dies to stop Andromeda, and Omega-Xis takes the Key once more. 200 years later, a human by the name of Layla Woods soon discovers that the FM-ians are returning, one by one. Rated T. Complete! MegaMan Starforce FF. R&R please!
1. Prologue: 220x

Hello again! I am Jess again, with a new story!

Really, it's an old one I completed, but some of it's on my DeviantArt, but the rest of the story will be here as well.

I don't own MegaMan Starforce or any of the canon characters.

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"Omega-Xis," the human says, "We…we did it."

"Hush," I say, allowing the human I once called partner to murmur, "We did it, we stopped Andromeda."

_But at the price of your life…_

The FM-ian King lies on the ground, dead.

"Geo," I say, feeling his life force drain, "You need to get out of here. Please, Geo, I'm-"

"Omega-Xis," Geo says, "I can't…I can't leave…"

"That's ridiculous!" I say, hating how I'm stuck on his arm in EM-wave form.

"Omega-Xis…I can't live," Geo says, "Andromeda damaged me too much, and…and the key…you need to take it…then hide yourself…"

"What am I going to tell them?" I say, "Luna, Sonia, everyone…what will I say?"

"You won't say anything," Geo says, "They'll know that I died to prevent Andromeda from rising…the FM-ians…they'll be looking, but…if you hide…you won't…die…and let…the key…fall…into…"

At the last word, Geo draws in a sharp breath and freezes.

_Death has claimed him…now we'll…we'll be separated…Already I can feel our bodies being split apart…_

When the split occurs, I can't help but moan in pain.

When it finishes, I go to the Andromeda Key.

It's as beautiful as I remember it, dark purple and red, as though it was telling me to murder the ones who destroyed Geo and the AM-ians.

I take the Key carefully, its power exactly as I remember.

"Now it's mine again," I say, looking over at Geo's body, "Now…I must hide…otherwise I'll fail Geo and the humans…"

_But where? I can try hiding in another Transer, but that's too risky, too predictable…I'll hide in the EM waves and bide my time…the FM-ians should be heading to Planet FM…so they won't bother Earth for a while…but I have to let Lyra and Sonia know what happened, what Geo told me to do…_

I go past Geo's body, fizzling as it transfers to the human world. Into the ship where his father was turned into EM waves.

_Perhaps…perhaps there won't be another being like Geo…one who shares my EM pattern…then I truly will be one of the last AM-ians._

I picture Sonia and Lyra's reactions to the news I'm supposed to tell.

Not pretty.

_And that other girl, Luna…she'll be looking for me for the rest of her days if she finds Geo's dead. Not to mention Aaron Boreal, Geo's mother…they'll be wanting me dead if they knew what went on…that Geo sacrificed himself to stop Andromeda…I shouldn't tell them, any of them…I'll hide, hide with the Andromeda Key…_

I use the EM waves to return to Earth and go to a different country.

_It's for the best, everyone. If I die, then the FM-ians will get the Key, then you all will die…_

--------------------------------------------

We all die at Andromeda sometime, and this is a possibility of what would happen in the future if Geo Stelar prevented Andromeda's rampage.


	2. Chapter 1: 240x

I skate with ease across the sidewalks of Garden Wake, town of everlasting dreams.

_That's what they call it, anyway._

I am Layla Woods, fifteen years old and loving it.

The date that flashes on the bank I pass reads _January 1__st__, 240x_.

I stop when my ring beeps.

My ring is an invention invented by some dude two hundred years ago, and I don't know if that's accurate, but hey…it works.

Anyway, my ring is an invention called the Trans-Ring, or the TR for short. It's a girl-only model, while the boys get something that resembles an armband.

I press my ring and holograms spring to life.

One of the many monitors reads, _One new call. Accept?_

"Yes," I say aloud, "Patch me in with video view, please."

The monitor disappears, revealing the face of my mother on the phone.

"Hey, mom, what is it?" I ask.

"About the fireworks, La," Mom says, calling me by my nickname, "They've been cancelled, but you can still look at the sky in the park."

"Thanks, mom," I say, rolling my eyes.

_A New Year's without fireworks? You've got to be kidding me._

I notice the sun setting and say, "I'm heading to the park right now. Don't call me unless you need me before…"

"Midnight's the curfew," Mom says, "You know that."

"YES, mother," I say, cutting the connection and sighing.

_I love the fireworks of New Year's! Why is it cancelled? Cause some 'psychic' saw the future and determined rainy nights for a week?_

I activate my TR and say, "News please."

Headlines pop out in front of me, one explaining that New Year's fireworks was cancelled because of news of overly active EM waves tonight.

_So what? It'll mess up the TRs and TAs, sure, but so what? That's just not fair._

I turn off my TR and begin skating to the park.

_Overly active EM waves, I wanna know why you're active tonight!_


	3. Chapter 2

I skate into the park when the moon rises and notice two things.

One: the park's empty.

Two: _someone_ left their sunglasses in a chair.

I skate over to the sunglasses.

Oh, they're not sunglasses.

They're one of those new-fangled things people call EM Seers.

I put them on.

_Amazing! I can see viruses and everything!_

I take off my skates and sling them over my shoulder.

_I can see roads…roads? And there's tons of Navis, too! Is this what they meant by overly active EM waves?_

I walk to the place where fireworks were supposed to be launched from.

The machines are all here, they just have no ammo.

I touch one of the machines.

I can see it as though it's breathing…it's like it's trying to tell me something…

Too late I notice the blue being that circles behind me and touches my back.

_Agh!_

Darkness sets in.

_Where…where am I? Am…am I dead? Electrocuted?_

_No._

_Eek! Who are you?_

"I am Omega-Xis. Open your eyes, human."

I open my eyes and find my TR is activated, with one drastic difference.

The monitor shows one object: the blue being that touched me.

It's a weird being, like one you'd see after a near-death experience, with glowing green "fur" and blue armored wrist guards and breastplate. His head reminds me of a dog or wolf.

"Who…who are you?" I ask, wondering what exactly it was.

"I told you." The being says, "I'm Omega-Xis, an AM-ian."

_What?_

"Why are you in my TR, then?" I say, standing up.

"Because you're the first one I ever saw since 200 years ago to have the same EM wave-length as I do," Omega-Xis says, "Now, who are you?"

"Layla, Layla Woods," I say, slightly confused now.

Omega-Xis nods and says, "Pleased to meet you. Now, what'd you say this thing was? A TR?"

"A Trans-Ring," I say, still wondering where this…_thing_…came from.

Omega-Xis nods and says, "Take those glasses, too. You'll need those."

I look and realize the sunglasses had fallen when I fainted.

I pick them up and say, "Why? Any reason?"

"Sooner or later, if they find me," Omega-Xis replies, "Now, you might want to get home. You were unconscious for a few hours, and it's midnight now."

_Midnight!_

I put the glasses on and put on my skates, muttering, "Gonna be late, gonna be late."

When I finish, I say, "I have to turn the TR off, or I'm not gonna be able to see."

"Go ahead," Omega-Xis says, "I can follow you with the EM roads."

_The one thing I don't want you to do!_


	4. Chapter 3

I immediately begin skating, as fast as I can.

I use shortcuts and longcuts until I make it home.

My home isn't much, just a two-story house my parents and I share.

I walk into the house, panting.

_Did I lose him? Hopefully…_

I notice all the lights are out, as though my parents decided to go to bed early.

I walk up the stairs, looking around warily.

When I enter my room, I close the door behind me and sigh.

"Nice try, kid," a voice says.

Even without the glasses, I can tell Omega-Xis is right next to me, his mouth near my ear.

I put on the glasses.

I then walk over to my bed and say, "You weren't supposed to follow!"

"Technically, I am," Omega-Xis says, looking around as he enters into the room, "Because I bound myself to you."

"And what's _that_ supposed to mean?" I say, tossing a pillow at Omega-Xis, to no avail.

"Meaning I'm supposed to stay with you until you die or I die, whichever comes first," the AM-ian says, "and we can EM Wave Change."

"EM Wave _what_?" I say, thinking that maybe this is all a dream.

"We fuse together to beat up viruses," Omega-Xis says, "but with this new…'virus-enslaving' system, we can just zip around and do whatever."

"And I'm supposed to believe all that?" I say, "Even the fusing part, no matter how weird it sounds?"

Omega-Xis nods and says, "Listen, Layla, I had a partner nearly like you. Stubborn, unbelieving at first…hopefully you don't live the same way he did."

"Like what?" I say angrily, "My parents are having another child, I go to school like any other person, and in general I'm having a great life until you show up!"

To my surprise, Omega-Xis rolls his eyes and says, "You're getting annoying, and quickly. All I'm supposed to do is protect something, and you have the same EM waves as I do. It's for that reason only that I'm joining you."

"Protecting something?" I ask, "What?"

"Something that my partner died for," Omega-Xis says, "and that some FM-ians are going to want back, badly."

"FM-ians?" I ask, "What's the difference?"

"Many," Omega-Xis says, "It's pretty late, and I know how humans prefer not to be kept from their sleep, so I'll tell you more tomorrow."

Omega-Xis leaves the room, leaving me to wonder what to do next.

_So what if it's a dream, and tomorrow's really New Year's? Then I don't have to worry about anything._

_And, by some random chance, what if it's real? Sticking with Omega-Xis and helping him protect whatever he's protecting doesn't sound hard._

I yawn.

_It's been a long night. I should rest._


	5. Chapter 4

I wake up before my alarm and look around.

One of my pillows is at the door.

_Oh, no. I remember tossing that pillow, and that must mean…_

I sit up.

Not a sound.

I stand up and walk to the door.

Nothing.

I throw the pillow on my bed and open the door.

I peek out and look outside.

Nothing out of the ordinary.

Finally, I remember: if the dream was right, then Omega-Xis must be in my TR.

I press the button to activate it.

I notice a new window, which shows Omega-Xis asleep.

_Good grief._

"Yo!" I say quietly, "Wake up! It's morning!"

Omega-Xis' eyes open as I walk out of the room and down the stairs.

"Morning, Layla," Omega-Xis says with a yawn.

"I have to get to school," I say, walking in the kitchen and grabbing my bag, "but I'll have to skate there, so-"

"Skate?" Omega-Xis says, "Why don't we try EM Wave Changing? It'll get you to school in no time at all."

I shake my head, my short black hair not helping my already annoyed mood.

"So be it," Omega-Xis says, "Don't blame me if you're late."

I reach for my skates and find they're missing.

"Did you take my skates?" I say accusingly.

"Nope," Omega-Xis says, "I don't have a physical body. Sorry."

"Mom!" I call, "Where's my skates?"

Mom comes out from the living room and says, "La, you were past curfew, so I took them away. You'll have to walk to school today and tomorrow."

_That's what I get for refusing EM Wave Change, I guess._

"Okay! Just wondering," I say, turning off my TR for now, "Bye!"

I run out the door and walk a block away before turning on the TR and saying, "Okay, Mr. Wise Guy, how do I transform?"

"You're the one with the Visualizer on your head," Omega-Xis counters, "Put it on."

I'm about to ask what a Visualizer is when I remember that I went to sleep with the sunglasses on.

I slide the sunglasses over my eyes as I say, "This is a 'Visualizer'? Where'd that name come from?"

"Long story," Omega-Xis says, "You see that spot where it looks like a whirlpool? The one across the street?"

I look and see an orange whirlpool-looking place and nod.

"Go over there," Omega-Xis says, "then I'll tell you the rest."

I walk, wondering why I feel so nervous.

"You got anything to wipe viruses out with?" Omega-Xis asks when I'm standing on top of the whirlpool.

"I got virus-enslaver V-Cards," I say, opening the window with my collection to show Omega-Xis.

"That'll do," Omega-Xis says, "There should be a new one, that allows you to call me from wherever. Can you find it?"

I look until I find a blue card, a simple blue V-Card.

"That's the one," Omega-Xis says, "Activate it and say, 'EM Wave Change, Layla Woods, On The Air'."

_You're kidding me._

I activate the V-Card and say, "EM Wave Change, Layla Woods, On! The! Air!"

I feel a sudden rush as brightness claims me.

Then…then I find myself above the houses.

"What…" I say.

I look at myself.

I'm wearing a blue shirt-and-skirt combo, as well as a helmet with red tint on the glass.

I look at my hands.

My right hand's normal, but the left is Omega-Xis' head.

"Eek!" I say.

"Get used to it!" Omega-Xis says, "If _they_ find out about me, you'll have to get used to this form!"


	6. Chapter 5

"Sir," Marco Woods says, "Look at this."

The head of the laboratory walks over.

"The EM Waves are reporting new data," Woods says, "New beings, like Navis, but…not at all."

Indeed, the screen is showing beings forming out of the waves, powerful ones.

One shapes into a swan.

Another into a snake-woman creature.

Yet another into a bull.

There are others, amongst them a set of scales.

"What are these things?" the head of the lab asks.

Woods shakes his head and says, "I was going to ask you, sir."

"_We are…the FM-ians,_" a voice says, a male one.

"Who said that?" Woods asks, standing up and looking around, while the head is ready to send Navis on the new beings.

"_Thank you, for giving us…life…now we can find the Andromeda Key, and complete what our king failed to do,_" the voice says.

"Who are you, and where do you come from?" the head asks, his hand hovering over the button that would call the security Navis.

"_I am Cygnus, an FM-ian from the planet FM,_" the voice says, "_our objective…is to find the Andromeda Key…and use it to destroy…your world…indeed, I feel my power returning…to me…_"

"Get the security Navis, now!" Woods says, and the head presses the button.

The security Navis appear on the screen, approaching the FM-ians warily.

"_Fools,_" Cygnus says, "_Our power is great, thanks to the careful prodding on your part…yes, even you will be wiped out…Andromeda will rise again!_"

At this, each and every security Navi is deleted.

"_I cannot kill you now,_" Cygnus says, "_but soon…soon when I find one of your own…then…then you will die._"

The FM-ians disappear.

"Sir…" Woods says, "What…what do we do?"

"I…I don't know, Woods," the head stammers, "I don't know."


	7. Chapter 6

I feel Omega-Xis twitch slightly.

"You okay?" I ask.

"Of course I am," Omega-Xis says, "Let's go. The EM Wave-Roads can take you to school in mere seconds. Let's go!"

Omega-Xis drags me in the direction of my school, and I realize that if I just let him guide me, we can get there faster.

"Omega-Xis," I say as we go over houses and buildings, "who are the FM-ians, and what are you protecting?"

"The FM-ians are wave beings like me," Omega-Xis says, "but they're evil. They destroyed my planet ages ago with a weapon called Andromeda. I joined them afterwards, but then I took the Andromeda Key, the only thing that could activate Andromeda."

"This…this Andromeda Key," I say, "is that what you're protecting?"

"Yes," Omega-Xis says, "my old human partner died to stop Andromeda after the FM-ians took it from me the first time. He told me to take the Key again, and to stop the FM-ians who would go after me. Fortunately, they're all dead by now, cause my partner and I deleted them."

"Deleted?" I ask, "Is that the same as killing them?"

"Yes," Omega-Xis says solemnly, "Kills them, but sooner or later they come back. Hopefully, they don't come back in this time."

_So Omega-Xis is holding the Key to the weapon that destroyed his own planet…so that means that the FM-ians were trying to destroy Earth?_

We stop over my school.

"So this is what school's like now," Omega-Xis comments, "exactly the same as two hundred years ago."

"How do I become human again?" I say.

"You pulse out," Omega-Xis says, "There's a wavehole down there. Just above it should be the exit to pulse out."

I notice a wavehole inside the school grounds.

Above it, on the Wave-Roads, is a portal-looking spot.

I assume that's where I pulse out.

I walk over to it and murmur, "I hope you're right."

I step on the portal.

A rush of brightness, then I find myself at school, human.


	8. Chapter 7

I walk to the school entrance.

"ID?" the school door computer says.

I hold up my TR and say, "Layla Woods, sophomore."

"ID confirmed. Welcome back, Layla Woods," the computer says, the door opening.

Not much students prowl the halls.

I remember that I still have the Visualizer on, causing me to see the EM waves in the school.

Pushing the Visualizer up to the top of my head, I walk to my locker.

"ID?" the locker computer says.

"Layla Woods, ID Number 005395," I say, holding up my TR.

"Name and ID Number, confirmed," the computer says, "Welcome back, Layla Woods. You will need your Science test turned in, as well as your Math and History books. English will not be a subject today, since you will be doing PE before lunch and the school hasn't found a substitute for Mr. Evans."

"Thank you, computer," I say, opening the locker and taking out my Science test and books.

"…And like, she is so dumb and freaky! I mean, like whoa!" a voice says, as a group of girls walk by me.

"Jerks," I murmur, noticing the one speaking is none other than Petra Carter.

Petra is one of my worst enemies, and we were enemies since I moved here in the second grade. Nasty little girl then, nasty muscular woman now.

"And will you give her the treatment at class?" one of the other girls ask.

"Of course!" Petra's loud voice rings, "She needs to learn that freaks aren't accepted here, at all!"

I close my locker, assuming that I would be the one to receive the "treatment".

I walk to my classroom, knowing that I shared homeroom with Petra.

When I enter the classroom, I notice Petra and her minions gossiping near the teacher's desk.

I walk by them, carefully avoiding their gazes.

I set my stuff on my desk and sit on the chair.

I activate my TR and murmur, "Stay quiet, kay, Omega-Xis? We're going to use the TRs today, so I'll have to hide you."

"No problem," Omega-Xis says quietly, "I won't be here."

At this, Omega-Xis' screen disappears.


	9. Chapter 8

I deactivate my TR and silently wait for the teacher to arrive.

Petra laughs loudly and begins walking towards me.

I was right. Time for the treatment.

Petra leans casually near me and says, "Hey, Lala, how're you doing?"

"Good," I say, noticing her hands are poised to strike.

"Well, that's nice," Petra says, "The girls and I decided that you are a freak and need treatment. It goes like this."

Petra slaps me across the face. Hard.

The blow causes me to hit the floor, cradling my cheek.

"And then this," Petra says, but before she can do anything else, her TR fires sparks.

"Hey!" she yells, waving the TR around, "Quit sparking!"

I try to get myself up, but find that my entire body hurts.

"Petra, move," a new voice says.

Petra turns around, her TR's sparking not as bad, and says in an awed voice, "Derek. Yes, sure, I'll move."

Petra moves, and to both our surprises, Derek leans to me and reaches his hand to me.

I stare at it idiotically.

_Derek…the most popular boy in school…helping me, the freak…up from the floor?_

"It's okay," Derek says, "I'll help you up."

I take Derek's hand and he lifts me up to where I'm standing face-to-face with him.

"Thanks," I say shyly, wondering why he would do something like that.

"No problem," he says, then he turns to Petra and says, "You deserved that sparking. Any more damage, and you would've been suspended."

Petra scowls, as though she knew she'd fallen out of Derek's good graces.

Derek nods at me and places something in my hand, then walks to his desk in the back.

I open my hand.

A piece of paper with decorations lies in my hand, advertising a late New Year's bash tonight.

An RSVP reads that it's Derek hosting the party at his house, and to bring the invitation as proof.


	10. Chapter 9

"Wait," Omega-Xis says after school, "You're saying that you want me to go with you to that party?"

"Yup," I say, taking my time going home, "Don't worry. Everyone else will think you're a pet my dad made or something."

"A pet!" Omega-Xis spits, "A pet! That's low, even for you!"

"We need a cover story for you," I say, "and what if those FM-ians come back? They must know that the Key's taken by now."

"Most likely, they're dead," Omega-Xis says, "and if they're not, then they'll be at Planet FM, crowning their new king…and I think I know who the new king is."

"Who?" I ask.

"Aquarius, most likely," Omega-Xis says, "Or Cygnus, if he's alive."

_Constellations? Cygnus the swan, Aquarius the water bearer…_

"Course," Omega-Xis says, "I can't afford to worry now. Andromeda's stopped, and won't be activated for quite a while."

"And if they do steal the Key?" I say.

Omega-Xis chuckles and says, "You'll help me get it back. If they activate Andromeda, though…"

"And if they do?" I press.

Omega-Xis shakes his head and says, "I don't know. My partner died to stop Andromeda, and he told me to take the Key. I don't know if this'll happen again, because Aquarius was never the one to simply use Andromeda to get what he wants."

"Who's Aquarius?" I ask, passing by the construction site that would supposedly become a new restaurant.

"He's a powerful FM-ian, and an assassin," Omega-Xis says with a slight frown, "An assassin for the previous FM kings. He kills mercilessly, without interrogation unless under orders. However…he hated serving the kings. He did it just to feel the death of others."

My stomach turns.

"And if he's king," Omega-Xis says, "then we'll all be in trouble. He didn't like Andromeda when the FM king made it, and simply said 'you know what? I don't want anything to do with this.' He once said to me that he could've destroyed the AM-ian world with his bare hands."

"Wait," I say, stopping, "aren't you an AM-ian?"

"Yes," Omega-Xis says, "but I disguised myself as an FM-ian when Planet AM was destroyed. I became a soldier for the king until I took the Andromeda Key."

My gut sinks as I say, "And if Aquarius was telling the truth about destroying a planet with his bare hands, wouldn't he destroy Earth?"

"That's what I think," Omega-Xis says.

I begin walking again as I say, "And Cygnus? Is he that powerful?"

"Not in the slightest," Omega-Xis says, "My partner and I defeated him on more than one occasion. But he's clever. If he's king, then he'd most likely look for me to take the Key."

"So neither king is good for Earth?" I say.

"Exactly," Omega-Xis says.


	11. Chapter 10

I lean against the wall of my house.

_So Derek's claiming little miss Layla Woods as his girl, eh?_

"Indeed, it is a tragedy," a male voice says.

"Who are you!" I shout, looking around.

"Layla is taking everything away from you, Petra Carter," the voice says, "and I can help you get revenge."

I grin and say, "You know my name and my enemy. Tell me, who and where are you?"

"I am Taurus," the voice says, "and I am right here."

Before my eyes, a weird cow-genie creature appears in front of me.

"What've you got against Lala?" I say, "Did she take away your looks or something?"

Taurus chuckles and says, "No, but she has a friend who is _my_ enemy. He has taken something that could save my world, Planet FM."

"And this criminal's helping Layla?" I say.

"Indeed," Taurus says, "Remember the sparking earlier?"

My eyes widen as I say, "He did that?"

Taurus nods and says, "His power is tremendous, especially now with Layla on his side. Layla has gained power from my enemy, and soon she'll destroy my world."

"So Lala is gonna destroy this Planet FM?" I say, my mind now ready to accept anything this guy says.

"Yes," Taurus says, "and if I don't stop them, I could very well perish before you exact your revenge."

"Why me?" I say.

"You have the same EM wave frequency as I," Taurus says, "We are bonded together in power and mentality."

"And Lala has the same frequency as the criminal?" I ask.

"Yes," Taurus says, "and we- that is, the other FM-ians and I- have a grudge against the criminal."

"What's his name?" I say.

"Omega-Xis," Taurus says, "and I need to ask him a few questions before he perishes. I've suspected him to be something other than the FM-ian he says he is."

I nod and say, "Then give me your power, Taurus. We'll get that item back!"

A loud ringing laugh erupts from my mouth as a rush of power enters my body.


	12. Chapter 11

"Very impressive, Taurus," I say from my perch.

"Aquarius," a voice says.

I turn, the pot in my hand responding eagerly to my movements.

An FM-ian wearing two masks is approaching.

"Gemini," I say, "Taurus has found his partner."

Gemini nods, the wounds from his battle with Omega-Xis and Geo Stelar evident.

_Rather, MegaMan, as people called them._

"I am glad to hear that," Gemini says, "But my concern is whether or not we can track this 'Layla'."

"Indeed," I say.

Turning to the large globe that serves as my lookout, I say, "Show me Omega-Xis and his partner."

The image changes from Taurus and his human to Omega-Xis' human, walking on a street.

"Are you going to destroy Earth, Aquarius?" Gemini asks.

"I do not know," I say, "I was away when the entire commotion of the Andromeda Key's disappearance occurred. I do not know why you couldn't have waited until I returned to pass judgment on Omega-Xis."

"It was for the best," Gemini says, "Most likely, you would pity Omega-Xis and send him away free."

I laugh and say, "Now, now, Gemini, you are too suspicious about me! I would know if the Key was there or not."

"Yet you often said that Andromeda meant nothing," Gemini says grimly.

I place my pot in the other hand and say, "I don't care about Andromeda's power, I more care that the king would send me to kill the thief of the Key."

I wave my hand to the globe and say, "Show me Crown."

The image changes into one of a young girl near a moving van, Crown near her ear.

"What assignment do you have for Crown?" Gemini asks.

I smile and say, "Taurus will need some backup, and Crown simply can't stick with the ghost. I told him of a living human with the same EM frequency as him. In this manner, he can fight 'Layla' head-on and not merely be simply dead from the start."

"A good plan, Aquarius," Gemini says, "May I ask a question?"

"Go ahead," I say.

"Why are you keeping me on FM, when I can exact my own revenge against Omega-Xis?" Gemini asks.

"You'll get your chance," I say, "and when it comes, you'll have him to yourself."


	13. Chapter 12

"Oh, Omega-Xis, I'm so nervous!" I say, tying my shoes.

"I still think something's up," Omega-Xis says, "There's an FM-ian in this town, I can sense it."

I stand up and pick up my bag.

"You're just not wanting me to go because you don't want to be taken as a Trans-pet," I say.

"It's not about that," Omega-Xis says, "That girl, Petra, she's got the same EM waves as an FM-ian I fought before. Taurus is after me, even though he should be dead."

"I would think that my dad's company studies Navis and EM beings like you," I say, rummaging through my bag until I find the invitation, "Maybe the FM-ians used their technology to come back?"

"I myself would doubt it," Omega-Xis says, "but since I sense Taurus, there's no time to argue. When you see that Petra girl, run."

I sling my bag over my shoulder and say, "I don't think Petra will show up at the party. Derek seemed so sure that she deserved that sparking…"

"And Taurus could use that against her," Omega-Xis says, "and he knows I'm with you, most likely because of the sparking, so Petra will be after us both."

I groan and say, "Great. I have to go against Petra to protect that stupid Andromeda Key and defeat an FM-ian…"

"It's not too bad," Omega-Xis says, "Just do as I say and we'll easily get the job done."

I walk down the stairs and say, "I guess you're right…"

"Layla!" my mom's voice calls.

"Coming!" I shout.

I go to the living room and say, "What?"

My mom tosses me a package and says, "This came over the Transporter. It's for you."

It's a package that's the size of a large book, wrapped in brown paper.

"Who's it from?" I ask.

"Your friend, Petra Carter," Mom says.

_Just pretend that it's the truth…_

"Okay, thanks!" I say.

I run out the door and close it.

I open the package slowly.

"What do you think, Omega-Xis?" I say, as I rip off the last of the paper.

"Nothing good," Omega-Xis says.

The paper reveals a box, untaped.

I open the box.

A piece of paper lies in the box with an old-fashioned disc.

I pick up the paper.

It reads:

_Lala,_

_A friend of mine visited me._

_He gave me this disc and told me to give it to you._

_After the party, upload the disc onto your TR and follow the instructions._

_I will be watching, and my friend will be with me, in case you try any stunts._

_We will stop you and that criminal you're housing from destroying the world._

_Petra._

"Criminal?" I say in shock.

"That's me," Omega-Xis says, "Guess they're still mad that I have the Andromeda Key."

I activate my TR and say, "Should I go or not?"

"Go, I guess," Omega-Xis says, "but upload the disc and don't do anything with it until after the party, I guess."

I tap a few keys on the keyboard of the TR and hold up the disc.

After a moment, the TR computer's voice says, "Disc uploaded. Would you like to see its contents?"

"No," I say.

"Would you like to set a time to see the contents?" the voice asks.

"Yes," Omega-Xis says before I can reply, "Midnight."

"Alarm set to: Midnight," the voice says.

"We're covered," Omega-Xis says, "Let's go to that party."


	14. Chapter 13

"Layla! Hey!" Derek says as he opens the door.

"Hey, Derek," I say shyly.

"You're right on time," Derek says, pulling my arm and leading me inside, "We can party until midnight, when we do the midnight countdown."

_The traditional midnight kiss?_

"Oh, um, who will you pick?" I ask as we enter a large room.

"You," Derek says.

I feel my cheeks grow hot as I process what he said.

_He wants a relationship with me? Or else he just took a bet and decided to be nice…_

"What? Do you have someone already?" Derek asks.

I shake my head and say, "Nope! Don't have anyone I want to kiss!"

_Other than you._

Then I remember what Omega-Xis did.

_He set the alarm to midnight, when the kiss is! I don't blame him if he didn't think about this, but if he did…_

I walk over to the table where the refreshments are and say, "Derek…um…I can't be at the midnight countdown."

"Why?" Derek says, following me.

"I have to leave at the stroke of midnight," I say, "for urgent reasons."

"You mean like the fairy tale of Cinderella?" Derek says, taking a cup and filling it with punch.

"Kinda," I say, "but it's not an evil stepmother I'm going to."

Derek takes a sip of his punch and says, "I'll go with you, then. If it's not a stepmother, then I'll go with you, Layla."

I shake my head and say, "No. You can't go where I'm going. It's dangerous, most likely, and I'm going to find out where exactly I'm going after the party."

"Then how do you know I can't go with you, if you don't even know where you're going?" Derek asks.

_Uh-oh._

I notice Petra enter the room out of the corner of my eye.

"Listen," I whisper, "I know that it's dangerous, as one of my friends' enemies are involved. You won't be able to stand up to whatever I have to face. Please understand that."

"All right," Derek says, "but next year, will you be free?"

"Most likely at Valentine's," I say.

I catch Petra's eye and murmur, "If I live that long."


	15. Chapter 14

"All right!" the DJ shouts, "It's time for the midnight countdown!"

"Time to go," I say, waving good-bye to Derek as I run out of the house.

I duck behind a tree and mutter, "All right, ten seconds to midnight…"

"Ten!" the DJ shouts.

Rustling.

"Nine!"

I feel a hand on my shoulder.

"Eight!"

I turn to see Derek near me.

"Seven!"

"Derek!" I hiss.

"Six!"

"Layla, I need to know why you're acting this way!" Derek says.

"Five!"

"Derek, you won't understand!" I say.

"Four!"

Derek's hand grips my wrist.

"Three!"

I turn away and whisper, "Omega-Xis, a little help here…"

"Two!"

"No can do," Omega-Xis' voice whispers in my ear, "Too risky."

"One!"

Derek pulls my chin to him.

"Now!"

At the last call, I pull my hand out of Derek's grip and stand up.

"Not now, Derek!" I say, "I told you that you wouldn't understand, and you're proving me right!"

"Layla!" Derek says as I begin running.

The TR activates with the data.

"Show me the data!" I say.


	16. Chapter 15

A girl appears on the screen.

It looks mainly like Petra, except for the outfit, which from what I can see is similar to mine.

The dominating colors are red and orange, as though she was living fire. Her helmet's similar to mine as well, except with horns added.

Worst of all, she has both hands free.

"Layla, Omega-Xis," the girl says in a voice similar to Petra's with a male addition, "I am…Taurus Inferno."

"Taurus Inferno?" I say.

"Last time we fought," Omega-Xis says, "he called himself Taurus Fire. This isn't good."

"Go to the school," Taurus Inferno says, "There, we will fight. Meet me at the football fields."

Taurus' face grows stern as she says, "I will only wait until morning. If you don't arrive, then I will destroy Layla's family and ruin the entire town."

"Message ended," the computer's voice says.

"We have to get to the school!" I say.

"We'll fuse," Omega-Xis says, "Taurus will beat me if I go alone, but if we fuse…"

"We'll stand at least a sliver of a chance," I finish.

"Wavehole!" Omega-Xis says.

I run over to it and say, "EM Wave Change, Layla Woods, On! The! Air!"

The power consumes me again.

"How do we fight if I can't get to the football fields through EM waves?" I say, not bothering to concern myself with the fact that we're fused.

"We can go into a physical form," Omega-Xis says, "because you're human. Just zip to the school and get as close to the field as you can. Then jump."

"Jump?" I say, allowing Omega-Xis to pull me on the EM roads.

"Yes," Omega-Xis says, "If we're on the EM wave roads, we'll be EM waves. If we're on human ground…"

"Then we'll be physical," I say.

"Exactly," Omega-Xis says.

We arrive at the school, and I direct Omega-Xis to the football fields.

"Here we are," Omega-Xis says, "Now we jump."

I swallow.

_We're pretty close to the fields, and those lights are annoying…_

I jump.

-------------------------------------------------------

Prepare for my lame fight scene! I don't typically write those scenes very well, but I try.


	17. Chapter 16

I land on the ground and run.

"It worked!" I say, running to the fields.

_What's up with the lights, though?_

When I'm at the entrance, I stop.

"What is it?" Omega-Xis says.

"How do I fight?" I ask, panting.

"You'll find out," Omega-Xis says, "If I knew we were fighting so soon, I would've made you stay in the park to train."

_Uh-oh._

"Let's go," Omega-Xis says.

I nod and walk in the field.

Taurus Inferno is waiting, her pose like a bull ready to charge.

The seats are filled with teachers, tied to the chairs and gagged.

Taurus smirks and says, "Welcome, Omega-Xis. Or is it 'MegaGirl' now?"

"That sounds pretty catchy, Taurus," Omega-Xis says, "but let's cut to the chase. What's with the audience?"

Taurus laughs and says, "Well, my human wanted the teachers to see how powerful she is, and decided to kidnap the teachers and make them watch you lose."

"That's low, Petra!" I say.

A pause. Some of the teachers look at each other, as though wondering who I was.

Finally, Taurus says, "Petra is no longer here. She's enjoying the moment of sweet revenge that only I can provide."

I scowl.

_And if Petra's not "here", then that means…_

"You consumed her, simply to get me," Omega-Xis says, "You didn't do that last time."

Taurus smiles and says, "Cygnus told me that. After all, he'd had his human longer than the rest of us."

The teachers are now squirming in their seats.

"And you threatened to destroy my human's family," Omega-Xis says.

"Because _my_ human asked me personally to add that bit," Taurus says, "but let's fight and determine the fate of your world, shall we?"

I nod and mutter, "All right, Omega-Xis, we need to fight, and you're going to teach me."

"I know," Omega-Xis replies, "but here's a tip: he moves in straight lines. Avoid his charging, and we'll be able to split them apart."


	18. Chapter 17

Taurus charges.

I dodge to the right and aim Omega-Xis' head towards her.

_Or him. Or it._

Omega-Xis fires a blast of green energy.

"What's that?" I mutter.

"Your MegaBuster," Omega-Xis says, "You can use those cards through me as well."

The blast of the MegaBuster hits Taurus, but barely shows.

"Um…V-Cage!" I shout, aiming Omega-Xis again.

A cage appears above Taurus, and falls, trapping it.

Taurus smirks and says, "Are you serious? A cage?"

Taurus leans backwards and lets out a mighty bellow.

The cage bursts into flames.

_That doesn't work._

"Try something else!" Omega-Xis says, "Don't let that stop you!"

My mind races to think of another V-Card.

"V-Army 1!" I say, aiming.

Three viruses appear in front of me, little beings with pickaxes and helmets.

"Attack!" I say, waving my hand.

The viruses simultaneously throw down the pickaxes and hit the ground, causing shockwaves to aim at Taurus.

Taurus suffers painfully, as it roars in pain and shock.

"MegaBuster!" I say, aiming.

Omega-Xis fires one last burst of energy.

At this final blow, Taurus falls.

I run to the seats and use Omega-Xis to untie the teachers.

"Who…who are you?" asks Ms. Tynowa, my homeroom teacher.

"MegaGirl," I say, "and I…I would keep an eye on my students better if I were you."

Ms. Tynowa nods.

When I free all the teachers, I go to Taurus.

"How do I split them?" I murmur.

"Check if she's alive," Omega-Xis says.

I lean near Taurus and place my hand on her head.

"A high fever," I mutter.

I then put my hand on her neck.

"There's a pulse," I say.

"Good," Omega-Xis says, "Do you have a V-Card to take the power out of viruses?"

I nod and aim Omega-Xis at Taurus, saying, "V-Drain 1, V-Heal +10."

Taurus slowly transforms into a wounded Petra, but her wounds are healed after the transfer.

Omega-Xis twitches slightly.

"You okay?" I ask.

"Yeah," Omega-Xis says, "you've imprisoned Taurus into your TR."

I stand up and shout, "Get her to a hospital!"

I'm about to leave when a young reporter comes.

"I…I saw the fire," the reporter says, "and these teachers tell me that you…you saved them…who and what are you?"

"I'm MegaGirl," I say, "and I am the protector of Garden Wake."

At this, I walk past the reporter and head for the wave roads.


	19. Chapter 18

The sun rises two days later.

Taurus seems like an old memory, other than the fact that his V-Card remains with me.

For some reason, Taurus escaped that morning, only leaving that card.

Omega-Xis mentioned that it could contain Taurus Inferno's powers, but not to use it in case it consumes me.

Petra acts nicer now, mainly because I visit her in the hospital and tell her about MegaGirl, the one who saved her from being fully consumed.

"How's Petra Carter?" I say when I activate my TR.

"Her condition is improving," the computer says.

"Least you got your skates back," Omega-Xis says, "Fusing and defusing take a lot of energy from me."

"I know," I say as I open the door to my room, "At least nobody knows about me."

"That Derek kid could get suspicious," Omega-Xis says, "Remember, you fought Taurus right after midnight, when he tried to 'kiss' you, whatever that is."

I ignore the last comment and say, "Yeah, he could. We'll just see."

I turn off the TR and walk down the stairs.

Grabbing my skates, I notice the note on the noteboard.

_La, your mother and I are heading to the hospital. The baby's probably due. There's food in the fridge, and I adjusted the computers to unlock to your voice. Dad._

I roll my eyes and mutter, "And this happens now?"

I put on my skates and walk outside, saying, "Lock all doors."

"Doors are locked," the house computer says.

I begin skating, the wind rushing against my face.

_Ever since we met, Omega-Xis and I have gotten closer, down to the point where we're finishing each other's sentences…is this what it's like to be bound to an AM-ian? And are there other differences between FM-ians and AM-ians? I should ask._

"Hey, Omega-Xis," I say, "Are there girl FM-ians?"

A pause before Omega-Xis says, "Two that I fought, and maybe more that I haven't. Why?"

"Who are they?" I ask.

"Ophiuca and Lyra," Omega-Xis says, "Snake and harp."

"What are they like?" I ask.

"You don't want to know," Omega-Xis says, "Ophiuca should be alive, and Lyra's _definitely_ alive because we didn't have to delete her."

"Oh," I say, "Okay. Just curious."


	20. Chapter 19

"Yeah, and MegaGirl looks hot on the news," Derek says when I enter class, "as in, truly hot."

"Isn't that what you said about Layla?" one of the popular crew asks.

"Layla's not as cool," Derek says, "I mean, she totally blew me off, saying that I couldn't go where she was going."

"I hope she made it," a Goth girl says.

Derek rolls his eyes and finally looks at me.

"Did you?" Derek asks.

"Yes," I say, "and I was on time, because I had to be there by morning."

"Where was there?" the Goth says.

"A…A club meeting," I say, "girls like me from all over the world meet once a year in different towns. This year, it was in Garden Wake."

The Goth girl nods and says, "Groups of so-called 'freaks'? Interesting. Is it that secret?"

"Yeah," I say, "you had to be personally invited to participate."

"Too bad," Derek says, "You should've been at the football fields when MegaGirl defeated some cow-creature! Turns out that it took over Petra's body and was bent on revenge for you and some being called 'Omega-Xis'."

"If MegaGirl's one of us," the Goth says, "then why would they be concerned about Layla? I mean, out of all the students who wronged Petra, why Layla?"

"Because he invited me personally to the New Year's party a few nights ago," I say, "After the sparking, he invited me."

"And you invited me to prom!" the Goth says, whirling on Derek.

"Now, now, Whitney," Derek says, "Come…come on, you're still my date."

"And you cheat on me to kiss some other girl!" Whitney says.

"Not cheat!" Derek says, "You were away, rem-"

"Never mind!" Whitney says, then turns to me and says, "Ignore him. He'll get MegaGirl and dump her for a model."

"Um…yeah," I say, "Let's talk at lunch, okay?"

"Sure," Whitney says, "I eat alone, in the homeroom."


	21. Chapter 20

Get ready to get a "recap" of what happened before Layla and Whitney were even born...

-------------------------------------------------

"You want to know something about MegaGirl?" I ask when we're alone.

"Sure," Whitney says, "you two are buddy-buddy, right? She wouldn't mind you telling me anything, would she?"

"As long as I don't," I say, "because she's me."

Whitney's eyes widen as she says, "You mean-"

"I defeated Taurus Inferno, the weird bull-creature Derek saw on the news," I say, "and I'm partnered with Omega-Xis to protect the Andromeda Key, which can activate a weapon that destroyed Omega-Xis' world."

I tell Whitney everything.

"Show me Omega-Xis, so I can know you're telling the truth," Whitney says.

I activate my TR and say, "All right, Omega-Xis, come out."

The monitor showing Omega-Xis appears as he says, "I was here the entire time, listening to you two gab. Don't act as though I'm not here."

"Wow," Whitney says, "Is…is he…physical?"

"Nope," Omega-Xis says, "I'm EM waves. Layla's physical, so that's how we beat Taurus that night."

"You mean…after you ditched Derek," Whitney says, "You simply fused and headed over to the football fields?"

I nod.

"Awesome," Whitney says, "Hey, can I trust you two with a secret?"

"Sure," Omega-Xis says.

Whitney stands up and says, "I'm not really like other Goths. That's why I eat alone. I want to become a singer and an actress, and act in films about the truth about this world. I practiced in here after telling a teacher I got tortured for my desire."

Whitney walks over to the blackboard and says, "The teachers said that Winslow Klindon, the man who started Garden Wake's school, was an actor before becoming a teacher. He told stories that were written and passed down across his family. I think the stories got distorted somewhere along the way."

"What were they?" Omega-Xis says.

"The main story was about a young girl," Whitney says, "who loved to sing. Her mother died of a terrible disease, and her father was already dead. Then a music studio offered her a job, to raise funds to live as a singer. She wrote songs, so she accepted. But…but they made her sing songs that simply advertised the world, nothing like what she wrote."

I look at the monitor with Omega-Xis.

Omega-Xis seems absorbed in this tale, as though he knew it himself.

"Then," Whitney says, drawing a harp, "one day, her desire came to life…literally. Her guitar soon had a spirit that spoke with the girl, told her to break free of those chains that the studio forced upon her. So she did. She used the spirit's power to put the entire town to sleep…except one."

"Who?" I ask.

"The exception was a boy who'd never heard the girl sing," Whitney says, drawing a star, "and he wore a golden star around his neck. He used his spirit's powers to force the girl into a corner…and then he told her he knew what it was like to lose someone, and then recover. The girl was touched; never before had she heard anyone tell her that they understood the pain she felt daily."

Whitney's eyes narrow as she says, "The girl's spirit knew that the boy's spirit was a 'criminal' spirit, a so-called evil spirit. The girl's spirit tried to lie, that the boy could never understand her pain…but the girl said that she knew the boy was telling the truth, and that the spirits had nothing to do with her pain."

"What happened to the girl's spirit?" I ask.

"It stayed with her," Whitney says, drawing a bridge between the harp and the star, "because it had developed a bond with her. Soon after, the boy was called to save the world, and he and his spirit told the girl good-bye. The boy and his spirit were never seen again. The girl lived into old age, living normally outside…but suffering because she loved the boy so much."

Whitney lowers her head and says, "Most of the stories Klindon told involved these sort of spirits."

"They're not spirits," Omega-Xis says.

Whitney and I turn to Omega-Xis.

"The boy's spirit?" Omega-Xis says, "That was me. The boy was my old partner. The girl's spirit was Lyra, and the girl was Lyra's partner."

-----------------------------------------------------------

Gasp! Omega-Xis reveals the truth, and Layla and Whitney are bound on a higher level!


	22. Chapter 21

"What?" I say weakly.

"The boy," Omega-Xis says, "was a kid named Geo Stelar. I met his father in the space shuttle 'Peace' and turned him into EM waves. I remember the night I met Geo fondly. We had to save the world from Andromeda, and he died to stop it."

Whitney's eyes are huge as she whispers, "Then…then you disappeared, because the story says that neither of you were seen again."

"Yep," Omega-Xis says, "I traveled here to hide from Lyra and whatever FM-ians would still be alive."

"Lyra…who was her partner?" I say.

"Sonia Skye," Omega-Xis says, "and like the story, she was a singer, her mother did die, and she did put the entire town to sleep."

Whitney and I look at each other.

_So Omega-Xis and his partner were heroes of legend!_

"What did the story mean by 'he wore a golden star around his neck'?" Whitney says.

"Geo's father gave him a necklace that could communicate with the three Satellite Admins," Omega-Xis says, "Pegasus-"

"Leo, and Dragon," I say, "Those satellites are still up."

Omega-Xis breathes a sigh of relief as he says, "Good. Then I'm not the last of the AM-ians."

"You mean-" I begin, but Omega-Xis interrupts by saying, "Yup. The Satellites are controlled by AM-ians of those names."

I feel the blood drain from my face.

_So Geo and Omega-Xis were involved with the Satellites and told to stop Andromeda…_

"But there's one problem," Omega-Xis says, "and that's where Geo's body is."

"What?" I ask.

"When Geo died," Omega-Xis says, "I saw his body go to the human world. When I returned a year later, it was gone. Someone kidnapped Geo's body, and I don't think it was Crown."

"If I can suggest something," Whitney says, "There was another story, about a king who was given a physical body by a different spirit. Is that what you mean by Crown?"

"Exactly the FM-ian," Omega-Xis says, "but Crown and I don't share similar EM waves. But…"

Omega-Xis grows pale as he says, "But Aquarius and I do!"


	23. Chapter 22

"Yes, Omega-Xis, you have discovered my secret," I say, watching the entire scene, "I took Geo's body and made myself king. I gave myself the same powers that you and Geo had together. I am…Aquarius Dynasty."

"Aquarius," a voice says.

"Cygnus," I say without turning, "What brings you here, to FM?"

"Taurus has failed," Cygnus says, "and I beg permission to take out Omega-Xis."

"I have Crown on Earth already," I say, "and he's already preparing her for the town of 'Garden Wake'. Unfortunately, Cygnus, I have not found a human who has the same EM waves as you yet."

"Yes, your majesty," Cygnus says.

After I assure myself I'm alone, I continue watching.

The human known as Whitney sits near Layla, although her eyes are on Omega-Xis.

"So you mean that we're a new generation of bodies for the FM-ians?" Whitney asks.

"Yes," Omega-Xis says, "but Aquarius took Geo's body, meaning he's more powerful then we are."

"We?" Layla says.

"Yeah," Omega-Xis says, "Whitney's good prey for Lyra, since Sonia's gone."

Whitney's eyes dart from left to right, as though expecting Lyra to simply enter her body.

"And what do you mean by more powerful?" Layla asks.

"Geo's a veteran at Wave Battling," Omega-Xis says, "and he has Battle Cards, most of them for offensive attacks instead of caging, like the V-Cards."

"So that means we need to find some Battle Cards?" Layla asks.

"Easier said than done," Whitney says, "They're rare now, and they're illegal to own, since we have to enslave viruses. You can find some in the black market, but then you'll get in trouble."

"Then we'll get some and hide them!" Omega-Xis says, "If they try to arrest 'MegaGirl' for using them, then we'll just point out that the FM-ians can break out of the cages that V-Cards make."

"Like Taurus," Layla says, "and who knows if even normal viruses can break out of them?"

"I've used V-Cards on viruses," Whitney points out, "and they never broke out."

"Guess I'll have to find Lyra," Omega-Xis says with a sigh, "hopefully she won't be too mad."

"I'll go with you," Layla says.

"Nope," Omega-Xis says, "Lyra would get mad if I went with a new partner, and add that to the news I'll be giving her. I'll tell her about you when I find her, but it's best if you don't come."

----------------------------------------------

Aquarius is one of the quirkier characters I've had, and he's played a big part in the story, even before Layla's story begins.


	24. Chapter 23

"Crown," I say, "What's Garden Wake like? Have you been there?"

The FM-ian near me says, "Yes, and it's quite a place. 'Town of everlasting dreams', they call it."

I nod.

I am Delilah Crown, heiress to the Crown fortune of millions of Zennys and hundreds of sapphires.

I am merely sixteen, but for most of my life I have been subjected to private schools.

When I heard that we were moving to the town of Garden Wake, I grew nervous. I found myself wondering if the teenagers my age would be able to tell who I was.

Then I met Crown.

He's an FM-ian, one who told me that he consorted with royalty, and that I wasn't merely an heiress, but a princess my parents were trying to hide.

Imagine! My parents, who I never trusted anyway, hiding my birthright as a ruler of a kingdom!

I told Crown that he was to be my advisor, as he himself told me that I was royalty. He accepted, but told me not to tell my parents.

_Like I would. They would deny it, and tell me that princesses didn't exist since 200x or somewhere before that._

We're right now in the limo my parents bought for me specifically, and lucky me. It's the only place where I can speak to Crown safely.

"I am so excited and so nervous at the same time," I say, "Mother told me that they bought a mansion there, but I think it's poppycock."

"Oh, there is a mansion," Crown says, "and it has a gardener as well. Plenty of roses and lilies."

I nod. Crown always seemed to know what I preferred.

_Roses over rubies, lilies over pearls, and blue jays over sapphires._

"Who's the gardener?" I ask.

"A man named…what was it?" Crown says, "Oh, yes, Eric Roswell. About your age, as well."

"Hang on, Crown," I say, then tapping on the window that separated the driver and myself, I say, "How much longer, dear sir?"

"Just up ahead," the driver replies, his words dulled by the deep glass.

I nod and sit back.

_Garden Wake…meet Delilah Crown, princess and heiress to the Crown fortune!_


	25. Chapter 24

"See you later, Omega-Xis," Layla says after school.

"If Lyra's merciful," I say, looking over at the direction from which I came 200 years ago.

_Hopefully she'll understand. More than likely she's found a new human, but if she hasn't, I'll suggest that she come to Garden Wake._

"If you don't come back," Whitney says, "then I'll find you myself!"

"I'll come back," I say, "I just don't know when."

Layla nods, her face thoughtful.

_We've been together for a few days, but already I feel a kinship with her._

"Actually," I say, "Layla, I need you to take the Andromeda Key until I come back."

"How?" Layla says, her face going from thoughtful to shocked.

I transfer the Key to Layla's Trans-Ring and say, "Like that. Keep it safe, okay?"

Layla and Whitney nod.

I find a suitable EM road and begin traveling.

Lyra's waves are rhythmically calling to me. Looks like she's still on the wave roads in Echo Ridge…if it's still called Echo Ridge.

After a few seconds, I see a white vehicle under me, with very familiar waves.

I stop.

_Could it be?_

I zoom down near the limo.

A human girl with long blonde hair is talking, but I don't enter the car because I can see who she's talking to clearly…

_Crown._

I zoom back up to the wave roads before Crown could look.

_I need to find Lyra, and fast. Who knows how many FM-ians Aquarius sent to get me?_

I zoom for a few minutes before reaching the sea.

_Another few minutes, and I'll be at Echo Ridge. Then I have to find Lyra._

No viruses on the wave roads. Looks like the enslaving is working.

After a few long minutes of nothing but the blue sea, I notice land.

_Good. One of these roads should take me to Echo Ridge._

When I reach the land, I gasp.

All the roads are crowded, with Navis and viruses with collars.

Most of all, the shortcut's gone.

_Looks like I have to make do with looking around until I find the place._


	26. Chapter 25

_Wait…didn't Lyra use music to manipulate Sonia? Then that means I have to follow the sounds of music_.

I close my eyes and listen.

_All sorts of sounds…but there's only one style that Lyra has, and it's far away…_

I open my eyes and zoom through the wave roads, following where I heard the sound.

_Yes…she's nearby! I can sense her now! More than ever!_

I turn right and find someone merely practicing on a makeshift stage.

It's a young girl, around Layla's age, with long auburn hair and a smirk on her face.

I go closer, nearly worried about whether my instinct was wrong.

The girl stops playing and shakes her guitar, saying, "Lyra-chan! I need you to work your powers when I'm practicing too!"

"All right, Lee-sama," Lyra's voice says feebly from the guitar, "Give me a moment-"

"Lyra-chan!" Lee-sama says, "No breaks! My manager doesn't give me any, so why should I give you any?"

"Lee-sama," Lyra's voice says, "I was meaning that my power is beginning to flow. You may play now."

"Thank you, Lyra-chan," Lee-sama says, "My concert is tonight, so we need to practice all day!"

Lee-sama begins to play, but the tune isn't what I'd call a melody.

_Is Lyra losing her powers? Or else…is Lee a descendant of Sonia?_

After a moment, Lee says, "Lyra-chan! What's going on?"

"Lee-sama, I need to rest if my powers are going to be at their best," Lyra's voice says.

"Liar!" Lee says, shaking the guitar again, "You just don't think I'll live up to Sonia's expectations, do you? Or my mother's?"

I sigh and fly over to the guitar.

"Lyra!" I say.

"Lee-sama, one second," Lyra says, and before Lee can say anything, Lyra pulses out of the guitar and appears next to me.

"Omega-Xis!" Lyra says, "What is it?"

I tell her everything about Geo's death to stop Andromeda.

Lyra nods then turns towards Lee.

"Lee Furukoni is a direct descendant of Sonia," Lyra says, "but her talent isn't as developed. Sonia's last wish was that I help her descendants like I helped her until you return with answers."

"That's why you're stuck with her?" I ask, "She's a snob. There's someone who's totally better than Lee is, and she's with my partner."

Lyra's eyes widen as she says, "You found a new partner? Your waves virtually disappeared when you left, and I was wondering where you were."

"I was trying to hide the Andromeda Key," I say, "I guess it worked."

"Where's the Key now?" Lyra says, "Do you have it with you?"

"Nope," I say, shaking my head, "my partner has it."

"You're crazy!" Lyra says.

"I'm not crazy," I say, "I trust my partner. You coming, or are you staying here?"


	27. Chapter 26

Luckily for me, Lyra chose to come.

"I'm still worried about Lee," Lyra says while we cross the ocean.

"She'll be fine," I say, "I'm sure she has other talents."

"Enough about Lee," Lyra says, "Tell me about the person you have for me."

"Her name's Whitney," I say, "and she wants to be a singer and an actress, but she knows stories about us. About FM-ians in general. She made me realize that Geo's body was probably stolen by Aquarius."

"The assassin?" Lyra says, "But…but then he would be king, wouldn't he?"

"That's our hunch," I say, "Layla- my partner- is nervous about fighting Aquarius now. As Geo has the Battle Cards, while our only _legal_ resource is V-Cards."

"The virus-enslavers," Lyra says, "Aquarius couldn't possibly be trapped in one."

"I know," I say, "Taurus couldn't be trapped either. We fought him a few days ago. Rather, her. Taurus managed to get a girl for himself."

"So you mean that this new generation will be made of more female FM-ians?" Lyra says.

"Maybe," I say.

Lyra nods and says, "I tried fusing with Lee, but…for the first time since Sonia's death…I couldn't fuse with Lee. She just didn't have the same EM wavelength as I did. Everyone else in Sonia's bloodline did…except her."

_Then…maybe the wavelength passed on to Whitney somehow?_

"She's very passionate about her career," Lyra continues, "but somehow, she just can't fuse like Sonia and I did. After that…she grew resentful. She ordered me to call her 'Lee-sama' and began calling me 'Lyra-chan'."

"Betting there's gossip about her," I say.

"Naturally," Lyra says, "but the worst rumor is the one where Lee and some other child was switched at birth. It's a popular rumor, and by far the most widespread…"

_Switched at birth? I'll have to ask Whitney where she came from…_

"Although she's quite rude at times," Lyra says, "I can't see why she ended up so resentful about me."

"Maybe she really was switched at birth," I say, the words simply tumbling out.

Lyra stops and glares at me.

I stop and try to apologize, but then Lyra says, "Lee was not switched at birth! If she was, then she wouldn't be called 'Skye's child', would she?"

"What…what if they never considered that possibility?" I say, the words not stopping.

_Why am I saying this?_

Lyra hesitates, causing me to say, "I mean, think about it, Lyra! What if she simply read the gossip, tried to fuse with you, and, finding she couldn't, found herself realizing that she truly wasn't Sonia's descendant?"

Lyra's eyes dull, a sign that she's thinking about it.

"After that," I press, "what if she looked through the Internet? What if she found records of a different girl, one who was everything Sonia and her other descendants are and Lee herself wasn't? It would cause Layla to be resentful if she were in that situation, for sure!"

A long moment passes before Lyra says, "I…I honestly think that you're right, Omega-Xis. Lee-sama…Lee asked me if we could try EM Wave Changing when she turned thirteen, as a sort of teenhood tradition…but…now that you say it like that, then maybe the rumors are true."

I look at the sky.

_The sun's still up, and we're not far from Garden Wake. We should keep going._

"Lyra," I say, "when we get to Garden Wake, try fusing with Whitney. If I'm right, then Whitney might be the descendant you're looking for."


	28. Chapter 27

I lean on my bed.

"Layla," Whitney says, "you think Omega-Xis is okay?"

"Of course," I say, "Lyra can't take him down, I'll bet."

"What if…what if Lyra's already got a human?" Whitney says in a hushed voice.

"Then…then I don't know," I admit, "I mean, Omega-Xis mentioned that Lyra's not after him for the Key, and if she was she'd know that we have it."

Whitney shivers and says, "The Key's what I'm really worried about. What if an FM-ian attacks and Omega-Xis isn't here?"

"We run," I say, "Logical answer, and we can most likely hide."

Whitney sits on the floor and sighs.

_I am worried about Omega-Xis, but for now I have to keep Whitney company._

"My mom told me that I was born in Japan," Whitney says suddenly, "and that I looked different from the other babies."

_Well, yeah, with her bright red hair and blue eyes, she looks non-Goth…unless she puts on her usual clothes._

"I think my mom said that I reminded her of the famous Sonia Skye," Whitney continues, "because of my obsession with singing and my appearance. Whenever I asked, she said that Sonia was a popular singer 200 years ago, with albums still on the charts because of her lovely voice, especially when she was around twenty."

I nod. I myself have songs from Sonia on my TR.

I activate my TR and say, "Track down Omega-Xis."

"He is currently crossing the ocean at 4000 miles per hour," the computer says.

"About time," I say.

"Or else he just got started," Whitney says.

"He's been gone for an hour," I say, "he's pretty fast on the wave roads, let me tell you that."

"Hopefully he has Lyra," Whitney says, "I want to see if I can transform like you can. I feel so nervous!"

"I am too," I say, "but not about Lyra. About the other FM-ians."

"There's one heading to Garden Wake!" Omega-Xis' voice says.


	29. Chapter 28

"Omega-Xis!" I say, leaping to my feet and looking around.

Omega-Xis appears in the TR as he says, "Whitney, activate your TR. Layla's would get overloaded with two EM wave beings in hers."

Whitney activates her TR, a monitor appearing with what looks like a harp with eyes and a mouth.

"Is that-" I begin.

Omega-Xis nods.

_Lyra._

"Good to meet you two!" Lyra says, "I expect that you're Layla and Whitney?"

We nod.

"Anyway," Omega-Xis says, "Lyra, you have to try transforming with Whitney. I have a theory to try."

"A theory?" Whitney says, her face paling slightly.

"It won't harm you," Lyra says reassuringly, "We just need to see if you can EM Wave Change with me. I tried it already, and the last time didn't harm my partner."

"Okay," Whitney says.

I put on my Visualizer and say, "Then follow me, Whitney. I'll show you a wavehole."

I open the door of my room and walk downstairs with Whitney following.

When we reach the wavehole, I say to Whitney, "Stand on this spot. You'll be able to transform when you step on places like this."

Whitney nods and stands on the wavehole.

"Now, what's your first and last name, Whitney?" Lyra says.

"Whitney Makina," Whitney says.

"All right," Lyra says, "Just activate the new V-Card with my power and say 'EM Wave Change, Whitney Makina, On The Air'."

Whitney sifts through her V-Cards before finding a blank pink one.

"EM Wave Change, Whitney Makina, On! The! Air!" Whitney says, activating the V-Card.

Before my eyes, Whitney disappears.

I step on the wavehole and say, "EM Wave Change, Layla Woods, On! The! Air!"

I activate my V-Card and become MegaGirl.


	30. Chapter 29

I shake the dizziness out of my head as I remember the rushes often make me dizzy.

"Whitney?" I say.

"Over here!" Lyra's voice calls.

I look over to where the voice came from and gasp.

Whitney now looks like a punk rocker from the 190x times, as her outfit is a combination of pink and black and blue, with Lyra in her hand.

"I can wave change!" Whitney says proudly.

"As I thought." Omega-Xis says in a surprisingly grave voice.

"O…Omega-Xis?" I say, raising my arm so I could look him in the eye.

"There were rumors that Lee Furukoni, the famous singer and supposed descendant of Sonia Skye," Omega-Xis says, "was switched at birth. Whitney, where were you born?"

"Japan," Whitney says, "My family taught me some Japanese honorifics because I planned to move to Japan."

"Another confirmation," Omega-Xis says, "then Whitney must be a descendent of Sonia. Only Sonia's bloodline- or anyone with similar EM waves as Lyra- can EM Wave Change with Lyra."

Silence engulfs our little group, as Whitney and I look at each other with looks of fear.

_So Whitney's descended from Sonia Skye, Geo Stelar died before he could reach junior high…_

"Crown's heading for Garden Wake," Omega-Xis says, breaking our silence.

"C-Crown?" Lyra says.

"Yes," Omega-Xis says, "and there should be a few more FM-ians looking for humans. We already took care of Taurus, but we're going to need Battle Cards before facing any more FM-ians."

"Yes," Lyra says quietly, "they were proclaimed as illegal around a hundred years ago. The virus-enslaving system seemed a lot less harmless…other than what Sonia's descendants call 'EM lag'."

"EM _what_?" I say.

"EM lag is a term for a dangerous slowdown," Lyra says, "it can teleport you anywhere within twenty feet, cause injuries without touching anything, and even disease. The virus-enslaver system is the cause, as nearly everyone has to enslave viruses."

"How come Garden Wake hasn't experienced it?" Whitney asks.

"It's a small place here," Lyra says, "and there's not as many viruses, mainly because this place has more trees than buildings."

"And Battle Cards don't cause EM lag?" I ask.

"I've never experienced it," Omega-Xis says, "and Geo was fine until Andromeda got him. EM lag didn't exist 200 years ago, that's for sure."

"Then we need to get Battle Cards as soon as possible!" I say.

"I know a place," Lyra says, "but we're going to need to communicate with Cancer."


	31. Chapter 30

"Who?" I say.

"Cancer's an FM-ian," Omega-Xis replies, "but a black market dealer?"

"He's got better control over his humans," Lyra says, "and Cancer took them over and downloaded the data of Battle Cards. If we're lucky, he should send us the data."

"Do we need to pulse out for this?" Whitney asks.

"Yes," Lyra says, "we can use Layla's Trans-Ring to communicate with Cancer, and Omega-Xis will most likely talk sense into him."

"All right," I say, pulsing out.

I find Whitney beside me where we pulsed in at.

"Activating communication," I say, "Do you have a number for him?"

"Yes, and it's untraceable," Lyra says, "6095-3045-6943"

I say the numbers.

Three rings.

A man's face appears on the screen.

"What do you want, kid?" the man says.

Omega-Xis invades the man's Trans-Armband and manages a few sparks before saying, "I need to speak to Cancer. This is Omega-Xis."

"All right! I'm going!" the man says, pressing what looks like computer buttons.

The screen changes to the view of a young boy around twelve, drinking soda.

Omega-Xis' screen reappears, but he looks worn out a bit.

"Cancer," Omega-Xis says, "I heard from Lyra that you have Battle Card data?"

The boy- who I know is Cancer- smirks and says, "Yeah. You willing to pay for it, Mega?"

"What do you want me to pay?" Omega-Xis says, promptly ignoring the nickname.

"A bounty," Cancer says, "Ophiuca. I need you to find her before she finds me."

"Ophiuca was assigned to find Cancer," Lyra murmurs, "I heard that from a radio tuned to FM-ian frequencies once."

"Ophiuca?" Omega-Xis says, "How many Battle Cards are you willing to give for her?"

"Plenty," Cancer says, "and in addition, I'm not in contact with the other FM-ians, so none of them will tail you. In fact, I'll give you some of the data, right now. All of the level 1 Cards. You get Ophiuca, you get the others, as well as some…Mega and Giga Cards."

"Hmph," Omega-Xis says, "All right. Send the data to the Trans-Ring I'm in now."

"All right, give me a moment," Cancer says, then shouts, "Hey! The Trans-Ring that's communicating? Send it the level 1 Battle Card data!"

"Kay, boss!" one of the nearby men say.

"Transferring data," the computer in my Trans-Ring says.

After a moment, the computer says, "Done! Would you like others to see this file?"

"No," I say, "but copy it to Whitney's TR."

"Transferring," the computer says.

"Remember, Mega," Cancer says, "you get Ophiuca, you get the other Cards."

"Got it," Omega-Xis says.

Cancer's window disappears.

Whitney's TR displays the Card data as she sets it to private as well.

"Should we practice?" Whitney asks.

"Yes," Lyra says, "but not now. Wait until tomorrow, when it's the weekend."


	32. Chapter 31

After Whitney and I say good-bye, I walk into the house, my TR still on.

"My parents won't be home for another hour or two," I say to Omega-Xis, "because the baby's probably born."

"A human sibling," Omega-Xis says, "Why do I get an ill-omened feeling about that?"

I shrug and say, "Maybe from all those horror stories about siblings. I hear them all the time."

"Not just that," Omega-Xis says, "but…something else…"

I roll my eyes and say, "It's probably nothing. We have to focus on looking for Ophiuca and finding who Crown's got-"

"He's got a rich human," Omega-Xis interrupts, "I saw her. Around your age, heading to Garden Wake."

"Logical," I say, walking to the kitchen, "Crown probably has the tendency to go for the rich and royal, huh?"

Omega-Xis nods then leaves the TR.

"Mega!" I say, "Wait until I have the Visualizer on before you do that!"

"I'm going to look for Crown," Omega-Xis' voice says, "I'll be back, but it would be a good idea to keep the Visualizer with you. That TR's kinda stuffy."

At this, I no longer sense Omega-Xis.

I open the fridge, a little vexed.

_I mean, he did great on Lyra, coming back without any bruises, and best of all with Lyra…what if he gets captured by Crown and his human? And then there's Aquarius…if he didn't take Geo's dead body…would he have come to me before Omega-Xis, since they both have the same EM waves?_

I pull out an apple and begin eating it, closing the fridge and leaning on it.

_Maybe I should keep my Visualizer on…maybe that Cygnus guy Omega-Xis mentioned might come, or Taurus might be back, or…or who knows?_

I sigh.

_Maybe I'm just worried for Omega-Xis because we merely fought Taurus…or else because he stopped Petra from kicking my head while I was on the ground…or because he's a boy?_

At this, I shake my head.

_No! You can not- WILL NOT- think silly thoughts like that! I mean, take Derek. You had every right to fall for him, because he was human. But…Omega-Xis…ew. Just ew. He's only a partner in the least, a FRIEND at most._

I walk to my room, throwing the apple core into the food disposal.

_I mean, what about human life? Despite the fact that everything after Omega-Xis showed up ended up as a new change, my old life was just fine. He's nothing but a nuisance. I mean, I'm going to end up having to take care of a new sibling, so I won't be able to transform into MegaGirl as often…_

I pause in front of my room door.

_Actually…can AM-ians and FM-ians fall in love? I'll have to ask Omega-Xis…no…he'd act weird around me after that…Lyra, then. She's a woman, more sentimental._

I place my hand on the doorknob.

A slight jolt forces me to take my hand off the doorknob.

_What…what's in my room?_


	33. Chapter 32

"Heh," I laugh, "Crown, this new…power…is so demanding. Yet…I know I need this power…"

_Yes…yes, use that power…use it…find out more about this Layla girl I was informed about…we need to take down Omega-Xis…_

"Got it," I say.

I look through the girl's books, tossing them to the floor as I go.

Finally, I reach a journal written by hand.

I open the journal, the creatures that Crown calls his familiars whispering in my ears what I am reading.

_Oh, Diary, Petra picked on me again! I hate her…_

I throw the journal.

_Grade school tripe. How unbearably immature._

"No, no, no, no…" I say quietly, in a singsong voice.

The doorknob jiggles.

I freeze.

_Could it be that she detected me after the AM-ian left?_

Suddenly the doorknob returns to normal.

"Sparkshurtgirlshecantgoin," one of the familiars whisper.

"Speak slowly," I hiss, "You know I can't tolerate that nonsense."

"Sparks hurt girl," the familiar repeats slowly, "She can't go in."

_So my power is stronger than I thought._

The robes I wear crackle as I walk to the window.

My gloves simply spark with my power.

Most of all, the crown I wear on my head radiates power.

I open the window, and then turn for a last glance at the girl's room.

Stuffed animals galore, posters of humans on her wall, nothing that would imply that the girl was hanging with an AM-ian.

"Good-bye, Layla Woods," I say with a smile, "We shall meet soon."

I jump out the window and land on a wave-road.

_Time to pulse out to my bedroom…Mother, you are so doomed for choosing a place that has a wavehole in my bedroom…_


	34. Chapter 33

"Who's there?" I say as I enter my room.

My shelves are trashed from whoever it was.

_The one who caused the doorknob to spark…I had to wait until I heard silence to enter._

I notice the open window.

I walk over and notice a car entering the driveway.

_My parents are home. With my new sibling._

Imagine my surprise when my mother and father exit the car crying.

_The baby died?_

I'm about to rush out when I hear Omega-Xis' voice say, "Don't bother. Crown got to the kid before your parents could see it. The nurse was the last one to hold the kid."

I put on the Visualizer.

Omega-Xis is floating right out the window, his eyes on my parents as they walk inside.

"Was it Crown and his human?" I ask.

To my surprise, Omega-Xis shakes his head and says, "Nope, simply Crown. His human must be against killing kids…or at least infant ones."

"Someone broke in the house," I say, "Someone who caused the doorknob to spark. And they have a physical body, as they _trashed_ my room."

Omega-Xis flies past me and looks at the damage.

"Both Crown and Gemini have electric powers," Omega-Xis says, "and I can sense the work of a human fused with an FM-ian for sure. I'm sure that the perpetrator will show up at that school of yours."

"What makes you get that idea?" I ask, kneeling and picking up some of the books.

"Lyra asked me something on the way here," Omega-Xis says, "'Will this new generation of humans be female'. I said perhaps, but I think that there's a new qualification for it: adolescence. As in, being a teenager like yourself."

I nod and pick up one of my journals from grade school.

"So you're thinking that either the person will be a friend before we fight," I say, "or an enemy, like Petra?"

"Who knows what game Crown has in store for us?" Omega-Xis counters, "He's already got the advantage, killing off a sibling of yours. The game's already begun to him. I'm more concerned about whether or not he's getting backup from someone else."

"W-who else might be after you?" I say, "Anyone else who might be stronger than Taurus?"

"Plenty," Omega-Xis says, "a few I haven't even met."

"Then…then let's focus on the ones you know," I say.


	35. Chapter 34

_Oh?_

"Honey, who's Layla talking to?" I ask, poking my husband in the side gently.

Marco leans his head to the door.

After a few seconds, he takes a step back.

"M-Marco?" I begin, but he says, "She's with one of them. The FM-ians I was telling you about."

"What…what's it called?" I ask.

Marco presses his head to the door again and says, "Omega-Xis, I think. Layla just mentioned its name, so…but…for some reason, they keep mentioning FM-ians I've heard of, at least the only one…Cygnus."

I press my ear to the door.

"So wait," Layla's voice says, "Crown's after us now, then it might be Ophiuca?"

To my surprise, I hear a second voice, a gruff male voice that says, "Yeah. I don't think Gemini or Cygnus have humans, as Cygnus would be after me again and Gemini hasn't shown at all."

"And once we defeat Ophiuca," Layla's voice says, "then we'll see Cancer about the other Battle Cards."

I suppress a gasp.

_B-battle Cards? They're illegal, aren't they? With the new virus-enslaving system…_

"Then MegaGirl will be unstoppable, as well as…well, whatever Lyra's new form is named," the other voice says.

_MegaGirl? The one who stopped the Petra when the cow-thing took her over?_

"Michelle," Marco whispers, "are you okay?"

I nod and continue listening.

"I…I'm going to have to explain it to my parents sooner or later, Omega-Xis," Layla's voice says, "from the beginning."

"Save it for when we aren't worrying about Crown or Ophiuca," Omega-Xis' voice says.

"But then we might be arrested for having Battle Cards by then!" Layla's voice says.

"So?" Omega-Xis' voice says, "At least they won't be dying, like Taurus Inferno threatened."

"I guess…" Layla's voice says, "But still, promise me that when we get the rest of the Battle Card data, I can tell my parents…and you'll be there."

A pause before Omega-Xis' voice says, "All right. We needed Geo's mom to know about our partnership before we went to the shuttle where the FM king was. More than likely, we'll need your parents to know before we fight Aquarius."

I stop listening and murmur to Marco, "Should we tell her?"

Marco shakes his head and says, "She probably knows, either from us returning without a child, or else that 'Omega-Xis' told her."

"What do we do about this, though?" I ask.

"If she's MegaGirl," Marco says, "then she'll need to know about my latest project: the revival of the Brotherband."


	36. Chapter 35

"Bye, I'm going out!" I say in the morning.

"Layla," Dad says, "we need to talk."

_Uh-oh._

I follow Dad to the living room, where Mom's waiting.

"Sit down," Dad says, sitting on the couch near Mom.

I sit on the recliner.

_Omega-Xis, it looks like you'll fulfill that promise early…_

"Have you heard of the Brotherband?" Dad says.

I nod and say, "It was a 'modern' way of keeping track of relationships through EM waves, right?"

Dad nods and says, "I plan to revive the Brotherband by making it a program accessible through TRs and TAs. It'll help many people, a lot better than simply calling them up. Did you know that the Brotherband was shut down 170 years ago when a kidnapping spree involving Brotherbands struck?"

I shake my head in amazement.

"That leads to our next bit," Dad says, "I believe that the Brotherband can also help you stay in contact with your friends. Petra, for example."

I nod slowly.

"It can also be dangerous though," Mom says, "as people without Brothers are prone to…being taken over by FM-ians, like you have."

"Michelle," Dad says, but too late.

"T-taken over?" I say, trying to pretend like I don't know what they're talking about.

Dad sighs and says, "Layla, we heard you talking in your room with an FM-ian, about things like Battle Cards."

I feel my heart beat harder.

_What do I do? There's no waveholes in the house, not that I've seen…_

"Activate your TR, Layla," Mom says.

I move to activate it but hesitate.

_What if Omega-Xis chickened out?_

My parents stare at me, waiting for me to activate it.

I take a deep breath before activating the TR.


	37. Chapter 36

Omega-Xis' screen appears…with him in it.

Mom gasps, while Dad simply stares.

"Mom, Dad," I say, but Omega-Xis raises his hand and says, "Let me tell the story. They'll believe me if I tell them, more than likely."

Omega-Xis turns to my parents and says, "I am Omega-Xis, an _AM-ian_, not an FM-ian. The FM-ians destroyed my world."

My parents relax a little.

"I lived as an FM-ian for a long time," Omega-Xis says, "as a soldier for the former FM king, who didn't know of my true identity. I was merely waiting to take the key to the weapon that destroyed my planet: the Andromeda Key."

Omega-Xis closes his eyes as though reliving the memories.

"When I did take the Key," Omega-Xis says, "I fled to Earth to hide with it. There, I met my first partner, a boy named Geo Stelar. I'd met his father shortly before I fled to Earth, and had turned the father into EM waves to save him and his crew."

I can almost see Geo when I close my eyes: a boy about ten with brown hair, dark eyes which reflect a loneliness I couldn't experience, and a Transer like a person would wear in his time.

"We beat the FM-ians who arrived for me by fusing," Omega-Xis continues, "into a being known as MegaMan. After beating the FM king's right hand, we went to the shuttle where the FM king turned it into a mix of human technology and FM-ian destruction. He'd taken the Key from me, and Geo and I were going to defeat Andromeda."

"Wait…" Dad says, "You mention Stelar…was the father, by any chance, named Kelvin Stelar?"

Omega-Xis nods.

Dad nods and says, "Continue."

"Geo died to stop Andromeda," Omega-Xis says, "And Geo's last wish was that I take the Andromeda Key again and hide…again. So that's what I did for 200 years: hid until I found someone with a similar EM wave frequency…who just happened to be Layla. That was when she was late for curfew…that was my fault."

I can't help but want to smack Omega-Xis for reminding me of that punishment that I received.

"As you both know," Omega-Xis says, "the FM-ians are back, we defeated Taurus Inferno as MegaGirl, and we're going to find a certain FM-ian to take care of so we can get the rest of the Battle Card data. What you don't know is that there's two more like us: Lyra, who's on our side, and Crown, who's after me. Crown broke into Layla's room, and he killed the infant human."

Mom gasps again, but Dad says, "So what do we do to help?"

"Don't tell anyone about the Battle Card data," I say, "and don't tell anyone that your little girl is MegaGirl."

"Taurus threatened to put you two out," Omega-Xis adds, "We don't want that to happen again."


	38. Chapter 37

"My lord Aquarius," I say, kneeling before the FM king.

Aquarius nods and says, "Arise, Princess Delilah. Or should I say…Crown Lily?"

I stand up and say, "Is the DNA sufficient to make the clone?"

Aquarius nods and says, "Yes, adding to the sample Taurus took. Soon we'll have a Layla clone for Cygnus."

"I was thinking perhaps Gemini could use it, if at all," I say.

Aquarius laughs and says, "'If at all', Crown Lily? I can rearrange the clone's EM wave frequency to match whoever needs it…but perhaps you are right on Gemini."

I smile.

_He won't know what hits him when I kill him and take the throne of the FM-ians._

"Come, Delilah," Aquarius says, using my real name, "I'll show you the clone."

Aquarius walks to a large dome and says, "Unveil."

The dome turns into glass, revealing a young elementary school child forming in water. Pumps are attached to her body.

"And the DNA of the child brought by Crown?" I say, examining the clone of Layla.

"You are in a cloning mood," Aquarius says, "but he-"

"He, my lord?" I ask.

Aquarius nods and says, "Crown didn't tell you? Then again, FM-ians are prone to keeping major facts from their humans."

Aquarius walks to another dome and says, "Unveil."

This dome has a teenage boy, sleeping in a cage. It seems he is complete.

"Will he be suitable for an FM-ian?" I ask, "It doesn't seem as though you've assigned anyone to this particular human."

"Not yet," Aquarius says, "He is…still being formed. Don't look at him like a human looks at another; look at him like an FM-ian looks at a human."

I notice that his hair is not merely hair, but instead very, very thin wires.

"You mean…" I begin, but Aquarius says, "He is too powerful for one of the king's court to use. We will need to improvise with FM-ians like myself…in other words, the ones who haven't tried to go after Omega-Xis."

I nod and say, "Who do you suppose, then, my lord?"

"Perhaps Aries," Aquarius says, "or else Ursa. Either of them will make good use of Project MCL."

"MCL?" I say.

"Yes," Aquarius says, "my little pet name for him is 'Michael', a human name for when he goes to the human world. I'm sure you understand, Crown Lily."

Aquarius suddenly smirks and says, "Oh, yes. I remembered something. When you meet Layla, if you have a chance to kill her…don't."

My eyes widen as I say, "Excuse me, your majesty?"

"You heard me," the FM-ian of assassination says, "I want to fight Layla myself. If you do have that chance, knock her out and take her here. I'm sure you want to dispose of Omega-Xis, but you've already fought Omega-Xis. I haven't since he began as an apprenticing soldier."

I bow and say, "Of course, my lord. Your wish is my command."


	39. Chapter 38

"All right, Layla," Dad says, "we'll allow you to go on as MegaGirl. And I'm expecting that you'd do so without my permission anyway."

"Says who?" I say.

"Says me," Omega-Xis says, "I'm not letting you off the hook until I'm sure the FM-ians stop coming, and maybe even after that."

I sigh and say, "Mom, Dad, I have to go, cause I need to go MegaGirl and practice with the Battle Cards."

Mom and Dad nod, and I run out of the room.

"Now you'll have to keep your half of the promise," Omega-Xis says, "You have to help me get rid of Ophiuca."

"I know, I know," I say, "We need to meet up with Whitney and Lyra though."

I grab my skates and put them on.

"Otherwise you won't know how Geo and I fought," Omega-Xis says, "and I don't even care if Lyra's there, as long as you get some training in before we meet Crown."

I walk outside and say, "Yeah, as long as we train before any FM-ian shows in general."

I stop and smack myself on the head, saying, "I forgot the Visualizer! I'll have to get it."

I walk back inside, closing the door, and find the Visualizer on the counter near the refrigerator.

Putting it on, I walk back outside and head for the wavehole.

I stop at the wavehole and look around.

"I sense something," Omega-Xis says in a low voice, "and it's not Lyra."

"Me too," I mutter, "It's like someone's here…and they've been waiting for a while."

Omega-Xis leaves the TR and flies above me.

"Anything?" I ask.

"Yeah," Omega-Xis says, "We need to transform. The lesson's going to take place without Lyra."

I nod and activate the blue V-Card.

"EM Wave Change!" I say, "Layla Woods, On! The! Air!"

The familiar rush, and I'm on the EM wave road.

"About time," a female voice says, "I've been waiting for you, MegaGirl."

I look around until I see a girl.

She wears a tiara-looking headpiece, a cloak or mantle, and a shirt and skirt combo underneath. Three ghost-looking creatures surround her.

"I am Crown Lily," the girl says, "and you have something I need."


	40. Chapter 39

Crown Lily jumps and lands in front of me.

"And…and what do I got that you need?" I say, assuming the Andromeda Key.

"Your power," Crown says, "and Omega-Xis. I need both to take the throne of the FM-ians."

"I never knew you to be treacherous, Crown," Omega-Xis says, "or is it the girl talking?"

Crown Lily laughs, and I realize with a start that the girl's voice isn't mixed with another, like Petra's as Taurus Inferno.

"Fool," Crown says, "the FM-ian can't take me over. He merely gave me the power to destroy Aquarius…but not enough. I will rule both Earth and Planet FM as their queen."

"So he is king," I say, "and I'm betting with Geo Stelar's body."

"Of course," Crown says, the ghost-creatures floating around her head like a wreath, "He's not one to waste precious resources."

Crown offers her hand as though expecting a handshake and says, "I want power, you want revenge for Geo's death. We can work together, you and I. I can also help you find Ophiuca, for all she's worth."

"Tell me one thing, Crown," Omega-Xis says.

"Anything," Crown says.

"No, I mean, _Crown_," Omega-Xis says, "Why'd he murder Lay…I mean, MegaGirl's sibling?"

Crown smirks and says, "No can do, Mega. To tell you why would be to be to tell you our plans for destroying Earth. At least, Aquarius' plan for destroying Earth…if at all."

"You mean you don't know if Aquarius will destroy Earth or not?" I ask.

Crown shrugs and says, "He wants to fight you, Layla, himself. That's all I know."

"Wow, I feel honored," Omega-Xis says sarcastically, "I haven't sparred with Aquarius in a long time. And now he wants to spar with me again?"

"That's why I'm here," Crown says, "He told me not to kill you, but to knock you out and bring you to him. But I won't knock you out if you help me take him down."

"You want to rule over two worlds," I say, "but what if Crown takes you over completely and makes you try to destroy Earth? We'd have to…break our deal."

Crown Lily pouts and says, "My, my, you two are stubborn. I'll just knock you out for what it's worth and simply take you to Aquarius by force."

"So be it," Omega-Xis says, "we need to practice anyway."


	41. Chapter 40

"All right," Crown says, her body repositioning itself to where she could jump if needed, "If I win, I take you to Aquarius. Alive, of course. If you win, I have to help you take out Ophiuca. Agreed?"

I nod and say, "Deal."

Crown smiles and says, "Then let's begin."

_I can't remember any of the Battle Card names!_

I look at Omega-Xis and murmur, "A little help here…"

"Sword, LongSword, WideSword," Omega-Xis says quietly, "They're just a few, but I'll try and keep you on a variety of Battle Card data."

I nod and say, "Who goes first, Crown? You or me?"

"How about you?" Crown says with a smirk, "You can show me how your silly plan works."

"WideSword," I say, and a sword with a wide tip replaces Omega-Xis' head.

I leap towards Crown, the blade feeling strangely natural.

Crown dodges with ease, her eyes on the blade.

"HeatBall1," Omega-Xis' voice says, "Cannon, StikyRain1, and JumboHammer1."

Crown's orange ghost-creature becomes a sword, and she rushes towards me.

"HeatBall1," I say, and a little bomb-looking thing appears in my right hand.

I toss the bomb at Crown.

Crown tries to dodge, but fails and ends up in a cloud of smoke.

I jump onto my roof.

The feeling of my body turning physical nearly makes me miss Crown's next attack, the green ghost-creature soaring at me with its large hammer.

Crown lands on the house across the way, as I notice after countering the green ghost with my sword.

A crowd of humans has formed by now, watching the spectacle of Crown and MegaGirl fighting.

"FlickerKick1," Omega-Xis' voice says, "WoodLance1, and WideWave1."

I mutter a thanks before jumping to Crown's roof.

"Enough running, Crown," I say, "We'll finish you off with a sword fight."

"Foolish, foolish," Crown says in a singsong voice, "You forgot my last familiar."

_What?_

Darkness consumes me as I remember the purple "familiar".


	42. Chapter 41

I take MegaGirl in my arms as I hear the crowd roaring with fury.

_Victory at last. Time to go back to "Peace" and deliver the package to Aquarius._

I jump onto the EM roads and zoom to the shuttle.

When I get there, I notice Cygnus and Gemini in the main room.

"Cygnus, Gemini," I say, "what brings you both here?"

"Aquarius took off with the controller for the Andromeda Key," Cygnus says, "hiding it in case Ophiuca or Cancer try any stunts. You remember what Ophiuca tried to offer Omega-Xis, do you?"

"I heard the story from Libra, yes," I say, "the offer to band together and destroy the former FM king and Earth in one blow if Omega-Xis gave Ophiuca the Andromeda Key."

"Indeed," Gemini says, "but I see that your presence doesn't even need to be questioned, Crown Lily. You have defeated MegaGirl, and you're bringing her corpse to Aquarius, I presume?"

"No," Aquarius' voice rings as he walks into the room, "MegaGirl is merely unconscious, by my orders."

"My lord," I say, placing MegaGirl on the ground, "The girl, as I promised."

Aquarius looks over the girl and says, "Perfect. Even though your FM-ian took over a treacherous human, you did get the job done."

_Urk! Does that mean he knows what I said to MegaGirl?_

Aquarius turns to Gemini and says, "If you can, Gemini, may you take the girl to the room I prepared for Cancer? He won't arrive any time soon, as he's hiding from a nonexistent threat."

Gemini nods and takes the girl, and I finally realize the difference.

"The Layla clone is complete, my lord?" I ask.

Aquarius nods and says, "You took a while in FM time. However, the clone is…more or less like Layla herself, other than the fact that she enjoys torture in all forms."

I feel my face pale as Gemini leaves with MegaGirl.

"Are you sure the clone won't torture her?" I ask.

Aquarius shakes his head and says, "She actually thinks that Layla is her sibling. Watch and learn."


	43. Chapter 42

I blink my eyes open as I remember what happened.

_We fought with Crown Lily…and then she knocked me out…but where am I?_

I sit up and realize that I'm still MegaGirl.

"You're awake!" a voice says.

I look around until I see…me.

This girl, though, is dressed in an outfit similar to mine, but with black and white on the sides, and no Omega-Xis on her hand.

"Who…who are you?" I ask.

The girl smiles and says, "I'm Thalia Woods."

"Woods?" Omega-Xis says, "Wait, but…"

"I know," Thalia says, "you're Layla Woods. I'm your clone, but Aquarius prefers to call you my sister."

"What FM-ian are you fused with?" I ask, getting off the bed.

"Gemini," Thalia says, "but he's letting me meet you before you see Aquarius."

"G-Gemini?" Omega-Xis says, "but then shouldn't you want to kill us both?"

To my surprise, Thalia turns away and opens a door, revealing various knives and swords.

"This is what I am," Thalia says gravely, "I am the FM-ian of torture and pain. I take the weapons involved in the murders of humans and collect them, hopefully to use them against the enemies of Planet FM…and me."

Thalia turns to me and says, "But you're not my enemy. Not now, not ever. Even if the entire universe thinks you're an enemy, I won't."

"Um…thanks, I guess," I say, "but what about Omega-Xis?"

Thalia smiles and says, "Any friend of yours is a friend of mine, sister."

_She's…sorta weird. Does she have a crush on me or something?_

"Wow, I'm flattered," Omega-Xis says, "With all the FM-ians wanting to kill me, I'm surprised that I have support from Gemini's human."

Thalia lifts a finger then says, "Hang on. Gemini wants to say something."

Thalia closes her eyes then reopens them, but this time…she seems different.

"Mega," Thalia says, her voice mixed with a male voice, "Be thankful that Thalia's giving you this praise. And you, Layla, I'd want to avoid Aquarius like you'd avoid Andromeda at all costs. He's deadly, although he has his quirks…"

Thalia closes her eyes again and opens them, causing me to breath a sigh of relief when I find that the normal look is back in her eyes.

"Aquarius might not call you now," Thalia says, "but he will sooner or later."


	44. Chapter 43

I soon find that Thalia has loads of praise for Aquarius, even going as far as calling him her father.

We've chatted for quite a while by the time the door opens, revealing Crown Lily.

"Aquarius will see you now, MegaGirl," she says, "Thalia, he said that you should stay here."

Thalia nods and I stand up.

Crown smirks as she says, "What? Nervous? I'm looking forward to the moment when Aquarius activates the Andromeda Key."

I look at Omega-Xis.

His expression is neutral, as though he knows that Crown is wrong about Aquarius activating the Andromeda Key, but knows that Aquarius might have plans for the Key either way.

Crown begins to walk, and I follow until we reach a large room with a throne.

On the throne is a young boy, with brown hair and a blue and silver outfit. He has a purse-looking pot near his leg, and his helmet is tinted silver, making me unable to see his face.

Crown walks in front of the throne and bows, saying, "My lord, I brought them."

"Good job, Crown Lily," the boy says in a voice that seems to know everything, "You may leave."

"B-b-but my lord!" Crown protests.

"Crown, I'd appreciate a little privacy," the boy says, "even Thalia knows when I need it. This is one of those times."

Crown scowls and leaves the room.

The boy stands up and takes the pot in his left hand, saying, "Layla Woods and Omega-Xis, welcome to the court of FM. I am Aquarius."

_He doesn't look that threatening. Looks can be deceiving, though…_

"Am I supposed to bow?" I ask.

Aquarius laughs and says, "No. Thalia doesn't bow before me either, and I don't want an old apprentice to bow before me."

"M-Mega," I mutter, "What's he mean by apprentice?"

"Long story," Omega-Xis replies, "I'll tell you if we get out of this alive."

Aquarius walks up to me and says, "The Andromeda Key, Omega-Xis. I need it."

"For what?" Omega-Xis counters, "I know you won't use it."

"For my newest project," Aquarius says with a smile, "I destroyed the controller, so it won't be able to activate, and the Key is the main part of my project."

"C-controller?" I stammer, "I-I need some info here, at least."

"Andromeda needs two pieces to activate," Aquarius says, "the Key and the controller. I know how Ophiuca tried to charm Omega-Xis into giving her the Key, to where she could charm the old FM king and take the controller. If Omega-Xis did accept the deal, your planet would be destroyed."

I swallow hard and say a silent thanks for not taking Crown's deal either.

"I'm not giving you the Key," Omega-Xis says, "no matter what you say."

Aquarius smirks and says, "What if I told you the truth about Layla?"

"Truth?" Omega-Xis says, "Whatever 'truth' it is, tell me now, or we'll delete you."

"You asked for it," Aquarius says.


	45. Chapter 44

"You see," Aquarius says, "with the boy in my possession, I knew that you would need someone to help you keep the Andromeda Key safe, with possible foes on every side. So…I created a clone Geo."

"You what?" Omega-Xis says.

"I created a clone of the boy and sent it to Earth," Aquarius says, "to a different country, of course. Don't want Lyra getting suspicious. I watched his growth, and when he croaked, I watched his direct descendants…but a terrible accident struck the direct descendants fifteen years ago, ending the line until I found a family needing a child…so I created another clone, a female this time…the girl known as Layla."

I feel the blood rushing from my face.

"Wait, so…I'm a fake?" I say.

Aquarius nods and says, "I kept some of the tissue, but I knew that it wasn't enough in case you croaked. To prevent the end of the pure line, I sent Taurus to take a blood sample from you. Crown killed your sibling, as I knew that if Omega-Xis found it wasn't like you, he would assume the worst…and I made a clone of your sibling."

"Why go through all this trouble?" Omega-Xis says, "I'm sure it's not merely for the Andromeda Key."

"It's not," Aquarius says, "It's to keep my throne intact. At least, the first clone. After that, I found that human life was fascinating, a brilliant cycle which FM-ians and AM-ians don't experience. Birth, childhood, adolescence, adulthood, middle age, old age, death. Somewhere in the equation, another life is born. However, the clones before Layla were male, and so I was curious to try a female. Hence, your partner, Omega-Xis."

Omega-Xis falls silent.

_This…this can't be real…I'm really a clone of Geo Stelar, created for Aquarius' whims?_

"You…you mean…you're not going to kill us?" I say.

"Of course not," Aquarius says, "I just wanted to meet you at last, merely to see the results of human growth. However…I still need the Andromeda Key. Cygnus, Gemini, and Crown are all trying to take the throne, and I need to destroy the Key. Otherwise Earth will be nothing more than a memory and some rock."

I don't say anything.

"Aquarius," a new voice says.

I turn and see Thalia.

"Thalia," Aquarius says, "or is it Gemini? So easy to forget."

"I'm Thalia," Thalia says reassuringly, "I need to warn you: Cygnus and Crown are getting ready to siege the throne room. They've got Taurus and a few others, but I'd advise you to escape to Earth and let Cygnus take over."

Aquarius looks at Thalia hard and says, "Why would I escape to Earth? I'm in a dead body, and I'm sure Layla's parents wouldn't trust me in their home."

Thalia's face grows stern as she says, "They plan to fix the controller and use the Andromeda Key when you 'finish off' Layla and Omega-Xis. I suggest you run to Earth and wait until they finish the controller, and they'll go after you since you have the Key."

"What about you, Thalia?" I ask.

Thalia looks at me and smiles a sad smile, saying, "I can't go. Gemini won't let me go with you, but I convinced him that I should at least warn you."

Aquarius nods and says, "I understand now. Gemini prefers me as king, and wants me to live to return to the throne. Is that what I'm hearing?"

Thalia nods.

Aquarius turns to me and says, "Then we must go to Earth, Layla and Omega-Xis. I hope that won't be too much trouble?"

I shake my head and say, "No! Not at all!"

"And you, Omega-Xis?" Aquarius says.

"All right," Omega-Xis says, "Since you're not going to destroy Earth like the old FM king destroyed AM, then I guess you can come."

Aquarius turns to Thalia and says, "That's that. Tell Cancer that Ophiuca's not after him, and try and become the new king's right hand man. Got it?"

Thalia nods.

Aquarius turns back to us and says, "Let's go, then."


	46. Chapter 45

I follow Aquarius to a green EM road.

"This will take us to Earth," Aquarius says, "We can direct it to any location we want. We can use this to return to Garden Wake."

I nod.

Aquarius climbs onto the EM road and says, "It's an hour-long journey, even for us. We can talk while we move."

I climb onto the EM road and we begin the journey back.

"What's Crown Lily going to do?" Omega-Xis asks.

"More than likely, stay at Garden Wake and attend Layla's school," Aquarius says, "I'm sure you two are more than capable of keeping her at bay, yes?"

"I'm not too sure," I say sheepishly, "We still need some practice on the Battle Cards, and we got wiped out by her 'familiars'."

"I'm sure I can talk Cancer into giving you the rest of the Battle Cards," Aquarius says cheerfully, "Since Thalia's delivering the news that Ophiuca's not on his tail, you can get the rest of the Cards he mentioned."

I nod and fall silent.

_I'm supposedly a clone of Geo Stelar, who Aquarius has now. Thalia's my sister, the adopted sibling I have is cloned, and Omega-Xis and Gemini on our side. It's so confusing._

Aquarius reaches into his pot and pulls out a globe.

"The other FM-ians have found we're missing," Aquarius says, "Gemini's lying to them really well. Saying that we're escaping to Earth because we heard him destroy my chambers."

"I didn't hear a thing," Omega-Xis says.

"That's the entire point," Aquarius says, "Gemini is a skilled liar, and with Thalia, he can also use swords to his advantage. As long as we keep a low profile, I'm sure they won't find us unless they use humans at Garden Wake."

"Like Petra?" I ask.

Aquarius shakes his head and says, "Petra Carter most likely has a new 'boyfriend' other than the one who's obsessed with MegaGirl. She'll chase Taurus out of her."

"Who's Crown's human?" Omega-Xis says.

"A rich heiress," Aquarius says, "I'm sure you'll know her when you hear her name."

I look back at the shuttle we left.

It's getting farther and farther away, yet somehow I know that Thalia and my other sibling won't be harmed.

_Good-bye, my family. I'm going with our father to Earth, but I'll try and make it back for you two, okay?_


	47. Epilogue

"Whitney!" Layla says, hugging Whitney.

"Layla! Are you okay?" Whitney asks, "Lyra told me that you were attacked by an FM-ian and whisked off to the shuttle where Aquarius is ruling!"

Layla parts from their embrace and says, "Let me tell you the entire truth…"

--------------------------------

"Aquarius!" Lyra says in shock.

Aquarius simply hangs from a clothesline as he says, "It's me in the flesh. Don't get so excited."

Omega-Xis is also outside, but he stares up at the sky, looking for any FM-ians who might've tailed them to Earth.

"But why are you here?" Lyra asks, "You're the king of FM, aren't you?"

"No," Aquarius says, taking the globe from his pot and looking at it, "Cygnus is. Crown and Gemini are his right hands."

"Was it…was it a conspiracy?" Lyra says.

Aquarius nods and says, "Yes, although Gemini is scheming to return me to the throne. Hopefully, Omega-Xis and Layla will be able to set things right."

-----------------------------------------

"You mean…you're a clone of Geo Stelar, Omega-Xis' old partner?" Whitney says.

Layla nods and says, "Yeah, it was hard for me to believe as well. I don't even look like Geo Stelar. Maybe Aquarius took some poor woman's DNA to help create me, and that's how I got my black hair."

"And Aquarius is here on Earth because Gemini warned him of a conspiracy?" Whitney presses.

Layla nods again and says, "And Gemini has my 'sister', and I don't know who has my 'brother'."

Whitney looks outside and says, "Hard to believe that it all started on New Year's Day, huh?"

Layla nods solemnly.

------------------------------------

"What do you think of my new human choice, Gemini?" Ophiuca asks, as she looks into the giant globe Aquarius once looked into.

"Very dull," Gemini answers, "even for you, Ophiuca. Last time…wasn't it that Luna girl, the one who tried to get the Stelar boy to go to school?"

Ophiuca blushes a deep scarlet as she says, "Don't even remind me. She was obsessed with MegaMan, and it took nearly all my power to stop her from hugging him when she saw him."

Gemini smirks and says, "Why are you blushing then? Don't tell me it spread onto the loveless Ophiuca?"

Ophiuca scowls and turns back to the globe, the globe changing to a human pop star looking at a magazine with her picture on it. The cover reads: "Doubts About Lee Furukoni! Is She Really Skye's Child?"

"How about this?" Ophiuca hisses.

Gemini looks the girl over and says, "This one drools your waves, Ophiuca. Jealousy, anger, malice, she has it all…including the resources to make a stage that will suit you."

"Then Lee Furukoni it is!" Ophiuca says happily, "MegaGirl will regret taking Aquarius to hide on Earth!"


End file.
